Sympathy for the Devil
by Hana Sanyi Kaze
Summary: KaiOC There is nothing more painful than love. But there is nothing more enjoyable than being loved. Elexis McGrey has never loved or been loved by anyone. Her life is a mess unlike any other, with no direction or hope, she strays. But what happens when
1. Sumpathy for the Devil: Chapter 1

_**Summary: Elexis McGrey is your average high school senior. Except for one thing. She doesn't know where she's going in life. She's given up on everything; academics, friends, talents, interests, love, you name it. Why? Simply because, nothing ever goes her way. The one person she's been in love with for her entire high school life, is a jerk who couldn't give a crap about anyone, her teacher's hate her, and her family is being torn apart. That's when Kai Hiwatari walked into her life. Could it really be any worse?**_

_**- Sympathy For The Devil - **_

_**- Chapter 1 -**_

Fire. Fuel. Ambition. I hated it when they said it. Like on a cold windy day, their words swept through me like that chilling breeze, going right through whatever protective barriers I held up against them. It cut through me like a thousand knives, cutting me…right to my very bones. I had always felt that way. The stranger. Standing alone. Outside on that cold windy day, I would stare at others. Always looking in. Always, on the outside. The voice at the front of the room had long begun to bore me. I had drifted far from it long ago. Drifted, just as I drifted from everything else in life. My studies, my ambitions, my so-called talents, my love interests. Nothing really seemed to matter anymore. And why would it? It was all just a bad dream, I would sometimes think. But if this was a dream…then what was reality? Maybe there was no reality. Just the endless cycle of happiness, breakdown, and tragedy. Then there was that rebounding stage that lead you back to happiness again. God I hated it.

"Miss McGrey, care to share your thoughts with the rest of the class?"

My head snapped upwards towards the direction of the irritated voice. Who else but my calculus professor? His thick black eyebrows were furrowed, his eyes small and glaring towards me, in my direction. He was tapping his foot impatiently, as if expecting a reply. When I didn't answer, he sighed.

"That was not a rhetorical question, Miss McGrey, it does require a response." I gulped, my pupils dilating. What now?

"I … I uhh…" I began intelligently.

"Your mental absence never ceases to amaze me Miss McGrey. You know, if you plan on coming to class in flesh, you might as well bring your smarts as well. Or just don't come at all."

His voice sounded sterner than usual. It caused my heart to speed up in slight fear, my cheeks stinging red as my ears picked up soft snickering from directions all around. I wanted to look. I wanted to see who it was. But I would not dare. It would only be more humiliating.

"I don't think she comes with any smarts at all, sir," an amused voice slurred out from the back. I couldn't help but turn. I couldn't help but look. The voice had belonged of course to none other than Tala Valkov himself. My eyes caught his for a moment, his turquoise clashing with my deep ocean blue. There was something cruel in those eyes. Something cold, hostile, and unwelcoming, yet something fearless, defiant and bold all at once. He always looked down on people. I hated it. But I loved him. I always have. Don't ask me why. He isn't a very liked character. But for some reason, I had always thought him to be different. We used to get along I suppose- But not anymore. High school has a tendency to change people, and dramatically at that. Who would have thought I could still care about someone who constantly humiliated me. As if a sudden flood of emotions hit me, I stood up quickly lowering my head allowing the raven locks to cover my eyes so that the tears I shed would not be seen. Picking up my books I stalked out of the room quietly, ignoring the whispers and quiet laughs that continued to haunt my ears from all around me. Tala was cold, calculating, and merciless to put at best. Most people thought he didn't have emotional capacity, but I knew he did. How else would he be able to manipulate other people so easily? He knew exactly how to pull your strings, and if there was one thing I knew, it was that he enjoyed it… a lot.

Once outside, a good distance from the dreaded classroom, I dropped my books. They fell with a loud thud, spilling over the hallway floor. My head was still low, my teary, sad eyes still shielded by my hair. Sighing, I slid down the wall I was leaning against. Bringing my knees up to my chin I whimpered softly, hugging myself. I could subconsciously hear the soft padding of feet coming towards me. I ignored it. I didn't want to look up or acknowledge their presence. I hoped they just didn't see me. Why should they? People usually didn't see me anyways. The padding stopped.

"Um..excuse me but, are you ok?" a high pitched, almost perky sounding voice asked.

I opened my eyes and slowly looked up. It took my eyes some time to adjust after all those worthless tears I had cried out. A girl stood in front of me. She was about 5'3, extremely scrawny I might add. However she seemed to hold so much life in that tiny little structure of hers. Her big eyes were a bright vibrant green, her hair a chestnut brown, reaching down to her shoulders. It seemed to stick outwards slightly adding to her vibrancy. Her frown of concern was quickly replaced with a warm smile as she saw I had responded.

"I'm fine." I said through a shaky voice. I didn't know when it had gotten so weak.

"You sure?" she inquired again, a look of worry crossing her face once more. "Ya look like ya had an encounter with that jerk Tala or sumtin."

I couldn't help but feel my heart sink. Everyone said that. I almost felt angry. 'He's not a jerk!' I wanted to yell. But what did I have to back those words up? What was I even thinking? Look at me! Sitting here, crying over something that jerk did say…

"I'm Steffie!" the girl exclaimed, holding her hand out in introduction.

"Lex," I croaked, taking the petite girl's hand as she hauled me to my feet.

She frowned once again. "Why don't I see you around? I know like everyone in this school, but I never see you."

I hated it when people said that. The reason they never saw me was because I was always invisible, or just because I hid places where you usually wouldn't see people anyways. Like on the school roof, skipping class, gazing at the sky. Sometimes I'd lie there, staring at the clouds, hoping some strange airship would swoop down and just take me away somewhere where I didn't know anyone. That's what I really needed. To go somewhere where no one knew me.

"I..don't really go to class as much as I should I guess," I replied hesitantly, eyeing the girl known as Steffie carefully for some kind of negative reaction.

She simply blinked. I was beginning to get the impression she was one of those people who couldn't be fazed by any tragedy. Her short brown hair curled outwards past her ears, and her blue eyes seemed to sparkle infinitely at me. I thought for only a brief moment that I would have smiled.

"Well, Lexie, you certainly don't look like the type to skip class. But hey whatever, your decision." She chirped the last sentence, smiling brightly again. "Sooo wanna tell me what happened!"

"No."

"Aww…" she sulked for a moment. It was evident she didn't like the fact that I didn't trust her.

"You're not used to having people not tell you things are you?" I inquired.

Steffie eyed me curiously. "Not really. I mean, people usually trust me ya know. I like to help people, and that's why people tell me they troubles, ya know?"

"I see."

"Say, you wanna go for lunch with me? I'm starving and it's almost one o'clock anyways."

I paused for a moment. Could I really trust this girl? But then again, did I really have reason not to? She seemed friendly and helpful enough. Not only that, it was only lunch. It's not like she could pull some nasty joke on me in such a short amount of time. Right? Of course. What am I thinking? Not everyone on this planet is like everyone I know…

I hauled myself off the ground then, trying my best to stand up straight with a confident posture. Steffie continued to grin at me, as if her face was permanently stuck that way. I too was surprised I hadn't seen her around school, and for some reason I almost regretted it. It would have been nice to know such a cheerful person a little earlier.

We made our way out of the building and down the street. The streets were bustling with life. Cars zoomed up and down the streets none stop. People yelled at each other out of anger, but also out of greeting. I gazed across the street as a girl no older than myself waved frantically at a group of teens a few meters down the street. They quickly joined together exchanging hugs and smiles. I wish I had someone like that.

I was quickly shaken out of my thoughts as Steffie made a sharp right turn into the local Macdonald's. The girl was practically skipping as we walked up to the ordering counter.

"Ummmmmm, I'll have a happy meal, with a diet coke, no ice pleeeease. Annnnnd I'll have a smarty McFlurry with extra caramel sauce!" the short brunette chirped at the scruffy looking guy at the counter who was pressing the buttons on his ordering machine frantically, attempting to keep up with the speed of Steffie's voice.

"I'll just have a cheeseburger and sprite please." I ordered politely.

After receiving the orders we slowly made our way around the restaurant, looking for a clear table. Unfortunately all the students tended to swarm the fast food places during lunch making it impossible to find an empty seat if you were more than two minutes late.

"Hey! Steff! Haul your ass over here before you get trampled by the nerd club!"

I spun around to the sound of the voice. To the left, a boy with blonde hair, jelled in all sorts of directions waved at us. He had a goofy looking grin on his face, and freckles nearly covering his whole face. He was definitely a skater punk of some sort. I think I had seen him before, in history. He had a good sense of humour. Always made jokes about the teachers. I think his name was…

"Max! Heyyy what are you doing here I thought you were at the skate park!" Steffie chirped as she dragged me over to the table where the blonde known as Max was sitting. There was someone sitting with him. His dark raven hair was tied back in a long tail down his back, a friendly smile planted on his lips.

"Well I was gonna, until Ray here convinced me it would be a bad idea, considering we got chased out by the cops last time." The blonde replied still grinning. Finally noticing me, he turned eyeing my curiously. "Friend of yours?" he asked, his grin shrinking ever so slightly.

"Yeaaah this is Lexie. Lexie, these are my buddies, Max, and Ray."

Max gave a goofy wave, while Ray looked up for a moment revealing attractive facial features, before smiling gently, and nodding his head at me.

"Hey don't mind this guy, he's just a weirdo," the boy known as Max laughed, hitting Ray playfully on the shoulder.

"Hey hey hey, come now, I ain't the one skating in graveyards," Ray replied defensively, earning a grumble from Max.

The two boys then turned their attention to me. "So Lex… what year are you in? I don't think I've seen you around before?" Ray asked genuinely.

I paused for a moment. 'Of course you haven't…' I thought before opening my mouth to speak.

"I'm in my final year," I said slowly, watching the boy's facial expression as he tilted his head to one side, seeming curious about me.

"Oh I see… well I suppose we just don't have any classes together. That's probably why I never see you. What subjects are you taking?" Ray continued. He definitely seemed nice so far…

"Um…mostly arts.. and some history… and then there's calculus," I said the last part slowly, cringing as I spoke, causing Max to burst out into fits of laughter.

"Calculus! Oh man… that course is a bitch! Please don't tell me you have that gasbag McFeifer…" he exclaimed. They were still…being….nice…

I sighed. "Unfortunately I do… he just made a fool of me today for dozing off in the middle of class… Tala didn't help much," I added at the end, a slight blush crossing my cheeks.

I noticed Ray's face darken at the mention of Tala's name.

"That guy can be a real dick," he scowled. "Just don't pay any attention to him. He's not worth your time."

I considered this for a moment. Anything Tala said usually affected me like a natural disaster. Maybe it would be best if I told myself he wasn't worth it? Well… easier said than done of course…

A quiet beeping interrupted my thoughts as I looked down at my wristwatch. It read 1:45. Lunch was over.

"Hey, it's been great talking to you guys but uhh, I should run now I don't want to be late for class…" I said as I backed away slowly trying to get myself out. It's not that I didn't want friends, I really did. I realized my problem was I wasn't used to people being nice to me, or people in general. I had trouble socializing in these environments, and I needed out, fast.

"Whaaat don't tell me you're THAT excited to run off and LEARN, are you!" Steffie exclaimed in awe.

I paused momentarily, lowering my head and staring at the ground in embarrassment. "Well see…" I began, trying to think up the least humiliating sentence. "I..I have art. And I really like art. It's…probably one of the only things I enjoy." I mumbled to the blue and white tiles.

There seemed to be a moment of silence when all time stopped.

"You must be talented to love it so much to actually want to go to class."

Blinking, I looked up to meet Ray's honey coloured eyes. They were warm and considerate.

"Umm, yes…" I replied stupidly. "So I'll…see you around then?" I asked unsurely looking from Ray, to Steffie, to Max.

Steffie grinned from eye to eye. "You bet!"

-------------------------

I sighed as I rapidly walked out of the restaurant. That wasn't so bad, I thought to myself. They seemed nice enough. Now, if only I could get to that stupid art class on time, things would be just fine.

I could hear Mrs. Talbot, my art teacher, giving out instructions to the class. Wait, those weren't instructions. Those were introductions. A new student must have transferred or something. Oh perfect. I scowled at myself for having such impeccable timing. Now I'd have to walk into the room in the middle of a student introduction. Oh well, been through worse.

Turning the doorknob, I slowly opened the door. It squeaked slightly, encouraging everyone in the room to turn and look at the intruder. Me.

"Sorry I'm late Mrs. Talbot."

The elderly woman sighed, "That's alright dear, just don't let it happen again. I'm sorry Kai, please continue."

Kai? I turned to the figure known as 'Kai.' As suspected he was new in this class. I had seen him around in the halls. Actually, I think he was in my calculus class. Oh dear Lord. That means he saw my little scene today. I audibly gulped. He seemed irritated by my intrusion. In fact, he seemed easily irritable all together. His cold mahogany eyes pierced through me with a dangerous glare. Despite the deadly look on his face, he was relatively attractive, I suppose. He had two-toned blue hair, spiked around in all different directions, in a similar fashion to Max. His skin was slightly tanned, and porcelain like, somewhat like my own, only mine tended to turn red from embarrassment a lot more.

I felt uncomfortable under his glare. It reminded me of Tala's glare, only this one wasn't exactly malicious like Tala's. It was just…annoyed. I slowly turned to make my way to my seat, but not before I managed to crash into a stool, hitting my knee, and knocking over the watercolors. The class erupted in laughter, leaving me hopping in pain. I winced as I hobbled over to my usual seat at the empty table. I was always the only one there.

Mrs. Talbot shook her head, a slight smile evident on her old thin lips.

"Kai, have a seat over there at Elexis' table. She's always all by herself anyways."

I could feel my face heat up slightly. The new student, Kai, looked at me indifferently. The irritation somewhat left his face. He strode over to me silently, sitting down on the stool next to mine. I turned my head to examine him. His eyes were closed, and his arms crossed. He almost seemed to be concentrating or something. As if feeling my eyes on him, his own snapped open, immediately finding their way to mine.

"You want something?" he asked coldly.

Gulping once again, I shook my head. This guy seemed more unapproachable than my calculus teacher, and I really didn't want to get on his bad side. He glared momentarily, before turning away again, listening to the instructions given by Mrs. Talbot. We were to draw a scenery of our choice that we remembered from our childhood. It was meant to be something that to us, represented freedom. It took me a while to think of this scenery. There really was no place in the world that I felt free. I thought for a moment, thinking of the various childhood memories that popped up. Well, there was that one place- It was an old abandoned house where no one lived. I think it used to be an orphanage, although it close down a while ago. I used to go there whenever my parents would fight. I couldn't stand their yelling and screaming, making my head throb with migraines. So every time I would find myself trapped in the middle of their unhappiness, I ran to that orphanage. Maybe because it was a place where children were, where there were no adults to really control them, or hurt them. To me, that lack of control was freedom.

Before long class had ended, and we were to hand in our sketches of 'freedom.' Mrs. Talbot eyed me warily as she looked at mine. Even I had to admit, it was rather depressing for a place that was supposed to represent freedom.

The day was now over, and somehow I had managed to get through it alive and in one piece. I walked rather quickly, not being able to wait to get out of this place. I stared at the dark pavement as always, ignoring the shouts of the other students around me. However, before I could reach the street, I was bumped rather hard from the side, sending me crashing to the ground. I winced.

"What the..?" I looked up to see a flash of blood red hair. "Tala?"

Yes, it was Tala, and he did not seemed too pleased. A trickle of blood fell from his lips. He seemed to have been hit quite harshly by someone. My eyes followed Tala's cold glare to the figure standing a few meters away. Kai. He also didn't appear very thrilled. Before long, Tala had already attacked Kai, obviously wanting to get back at him for the earlier hit. The two exchanged numerous blows, but Kai seemed to be a superior fighter, obviously more skilled. One final punch sent Tala cascading to the ground, blood running out his nose. By now a huge crowd had gathered, watching the fight, and cheering on. Kai cautiously walked over to the red-head, who was attempting to stand. Suddenly out of absolutely nowhere, Tala spun around, lashing out at his unsuspecting opponent, something sharp and metallic in his left hand. With one slash, Kai's head snapped to the other direction, blood flying from his face.

I gasped, shock and awe filling me as I stared on in horrific fascination. It seemed from here that he had been slashed dead, but that was not the case. A dark red line was now visible across Kai's left eye, blood gushing as he cupped the wound with his hand.

That was definitely going to leave a mark.

ok I know, different Character for Lexie this story, but I wanted to do something a bit more angsty…TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!


	2. Sympathy for the Devil: Chapter 2

_**A/N: ahh sorry for the wait. Had some…inner conflicts about the plot XD. Anyways. Enjoy!**_

**- Sympathy for the Devil -**

**Chapter 2**

Blood stained the dark pavement of the school parking lot. Kai looked up at his smirking rival, blood running down his face, dripping onto the ground. A low feral growl emitted deep in his throat as he slowly stood, ready to attack.

"Stop this at once!" a shrieking panicked voice demanded from behind the crowd of students.

Everyone turned to see Ms. Tate, the assistant head of school, rushing towards the two squabbling students.

"Oh. My. Goodness. What is this? Tala! Why do you have a knife! Give me that!" she said ripping the silvery object from the teen's grip. "Good Lord! I swear I'll never understand you stude- OH MY LORD! Kai your face! Quickly, get to the infirmary!" she shrieked again, ushering Kai towards the entrance of the school.

Kai scowled to himself as he was roughly pushed towards the school entrance nearest to the infirmary by Ms. Tate. For a woman of such small stature, being so young, she sure had a lot of authority. And no one questioned it. She wasn't exactly a bitch or anything. In fact she was very nurturing and motherly. She had this remarkable ability to relate to almost every student in the school, earning her a lot of respect and liking from them. But like I said… **_almost_** every student.

I gulped as I slowly stood, dusting my blue cotton sweater off with my hands. I couldn't help but groan as I noticed all my books scattered around the parking lot thanks to the raving students that had shoved me over oh so graciously. "And all I wanted was to get out of here," I mumbled as I went around recollecting all my textbooks and loose notes. A flash of silver caught my eye as I picked up my sketchbook. Blinking, I moved my hand to the shiny metallic object. It was a silver chain, with a shiny silver ring as the pendant. A phoenix-like creature was engraved onto it, capturing my attention as it sparkled elegantly in the sunlight. Blinking, I thought for a moment. I was pretty sure I'd seen it on Kai when I had first seen him in the art room.

"Well, better return it to him, since he's still here anyways."

Hauling myself up, I made my way back to the school entrance near the infirmary. I could hear a voice from inside, which I recognized as the nurse's.

"Now dear, hold still. This will sting for just a moment…"

Kai hissed in pain as the nurse dabbed some anti-bacterial disinfectant on the now clear wound across his left eye.

I poked my head into the infirmary room just in time to hear Kai cursing violently at the nurse. My face distorted as I caught site of the wound, and Kai's expression. He didn't seem very happy. "Maybe I'll just give it to him Monday…"

-------------

"Ahhh please Ms. Smith I need this mark real bad! Will you just give me a chance just this once! I promise I'll write up the best report you'll ever read!"

The comment was returned with a flat stare. "Nice try Max. You know my late mark policies. This assignment is over two weeks late. You have a 70 deduction anyways. I will not accept any work from you. And I really don't care if it was signed by Jesus Christ himself." The woman added.

Max's permanent grin faltered. "Wowww…are you serious? Even if Christ, the son of the Virgin Mary signs is?"

Ms. Smith's blue eyes narrowed at the blonde teen. "Yes Max, even if Christ, the son of the Virgin Mary signs the damn thing."

A knocking at the door interrupted the two from their argument. Ms. Tate walked in looking very exasperated, sighing heavily she started pointing to the door. "Stacy, we need you, Volklov's at it again."

Stacy slumped her shoulders in defeat. She just wasn't getting to him. As the school guidance councilor, she was obligated to help troubled students like Tala. Although the boy didn't have any troubles with his academics, he definitely had a severe attitude problem, and proved to be a threat emotionally, and physically to other students and teachers.

"Had enough yet, Instructor?" Tala spat, emphasizing the word 'instructor' as Stacy Smith walked into the office where the red head sat.

The blonde guidance councilor gritted her teeth in frustration. "Almost, Tala. Almost."

Tala smirked. "Listen beautiful. There really is NOTHING you can do to change me. And I don't care what your pretty little blonde head is thinking right now, so just stop trying."

That was it. She had dealt with this little brat since he was a freshman. She knew he had problems at home, especially since the accident, and that his attitude was really just a defense mechanism he used to protect his self-esteem, and his emotions from everyone around him- but this was crossing the line. "Listen you little conceited ASS. I work here, and you will address me with complete and utter respect, or I will have your sorry behind suspended. Do I make myself clear, Valkov?" Stacy snapped at the arrogant blonde, standing up abruptly, knocking her chair over and pointing an accusing finger.

"Perfectly, Instructor." Tala cooed softly, his smirk never fading, his confident demeanor never faltering.

Stacy sighed. "You're suspended anyways. So is Kai Hiwatari. It's just to let you both cool down a little and… think things over for a while."

"Right…"

"You're dismissed," she said quietly. There was not much she could do for him. The boy was clearly a mess- the death of his brother in a freak accident, his parents' divorce, and now she was beginning to suspect a drug problem. Evidently, the boy needed more than a school guidance councilor to clear his head.

-----------------

Kai cussed silently to himself as he kicked his car. "Piece of fucking junk," he scowled. The engine wouldn't start, again. With one final bang against the engine, a low rumbling sound emitted from it, as it finally began to function again.

Muttering more crude phrases to himself, the stoic seventeen year old sat in the car, slamming the door, and speeding off. What a perfect day. First he gets his face sliced in half, then gets suspended for it, and now his car's functioning abilities were becoming rather questionable…

-----------------------

Great. Rain. I wanted to scream. First I flee from my calculus class because the 'love of my life' is a jerk. Then Mr. Sour Pants decided he'd like to hate me for no reason. Then I get shoved over during a fight, making my new sweater all dirty, and ruining half my books, and NOW it's going to rain, soaking me, and my books, and my hair, and that guy over there is staring at my chest. Damn shirt. Glaring daggers at the guy, he finally looked away. I could hear footsteps behind me. I hated it when people walked behind me. It made me feel like I was being stalked, and followed. Glancing behind me, I noticed a few guys in their early twenties walking casually in the same direction. They had stupid grins on their faces and seemed to have been whispering something about me. I walked faster. So did they. Now this was making me nervous. I crossed the street. They crossed with me. I turned the curb. They turned with me. Suddenly, I felt pressure on my left arm. Someone had grabbed me. I spun around, attempting to break free. Only cynical laughter followed by more hands aggressively grabbing at me. My mind went blank. I didn't know what to do! I screamed. Loud, and as best as my lungs would allow. But it seemed hopeless. Everyone had run off home too quickly, the sky was dark, and rain was pouring down. Who the hell would be out at a time like this?

-------------------

The engine seemed to gurgle a bit before completely dying out.

"Fuck," Kai cursed as he leaned back in his seat. At this rate a snail could beat him home. Sighing in anguish, the teen opened the door and stepped out, only to be greeted by thousands of little water droplets, quite effectively showering him. Growling, the boy stomped over to the front of his car, where he practically ripped off the front hood, and sticking his head in trying to find out what the hell was wrong with his piece of shit now. He was quite rudely interrupted out of his scowling fest as the sound of almost inaudible screams met his ears.

"OW! LET GO OF ME YOU BASTARD!" was something along the lines of what he heard. Hmm…that voice sounded awfully familiar.

Kai was quickly able to put two and two together. That was most definitely the klutz he met in art class. Oi, what the hell had she gotten herself into now?

Curious, the stoic walked in the direction of the screaming as it got louder, and louder, and louder, and louder…

-----------------

I kicked furiously as one of the thugs grabbed my angle. WHY ME! This was NOT fair. One pulled my hair furiously after I kicked his buddy. I winced as I felt some of my delicate strands rip out of my skull. Oooo he was going to pay for that one.

"Alright honey, time for you to give us our fun…" One of them said. The comment was followed by cynical laughter coming from all around. I felt nauseous, like I was going to throw up. Now would be a good time to send your guardian angel down to me, God.

The sound of a fist painfully connecting with a face was heard, as a loud thud followed suit. I cracked one eye open, looking around to see one of the pedophile goons missing. Oh wait; he was just sprawled on the ground missing a couple of teeth. Hm, wonder how that happened…

"What the fuck!" one of the men yelled as the others looked towards their attacker who was…who was….Kai! Oh my goodness gracious, Kai came to save me! I don't think I had ever been so shocked in my entire life. People I had known for ten years usually wouldn't turn their heads or flip their hair for me, but some guy I had barely known for a day was playing my knight in shining armour? What does this guy want anyways…?

A loud grunt sounded as the last of the thugs hit the wet pavement with at least one nasty smack to the head. Kai scowled to himself as he stared down at me.

"Look at you, you're a fucking mess. Don't you know not to walk around alleys when it's dark?"

I blinked up at him for a moment. At first I felt grateful, but that quickly changed as I processed his tone.

"You know, I was going to thank you, but if you just came here to lecture me on how to live my life, I didn't need YOUR help, thank you very much." I lectured back, standing up and dusting myself off for the second time today. Tilting m chin upwards defiantly, I spun around and began to walk.

Ha. No way was he giving her the satisfaction of having the last word.

"So…you're saying you could fend off those six guys all by yourself…without ME."

I froze for a few moments, earning a smirk from Kai.

"Well…" I started, "What if I could, I think I could have. I was doing JUST FINE before you showed up," I lied.

"Mm…so you meant to get your hair ripped out and get thrown to the ground. I see. You know, each of those guys was a good head taller than you, and at least 175 pounds. You saying you could take them all?" Kai challenged, his smirk never faltering.

"Uhh…yeah….for sure.."

"Alright…so that means you could take me too then?"

I gulped audibly. "Well…you kicked their butts, so you obviously know how to fight, and so therefore I obviously couldn't hurt you."

A soft chuckled emitted from the boy's throat. "Right." And with that, he turned to stride away, back to his car…which wasn't working.

"H-hey! Aren't you gonna offer me a ride home?"

"Nope, why would I do that?"

"Well that's the way it usually goes, right? Guy rescues girl, then offers her a ride home?"

"Sorry.., only in the movies."

He gave me one last smirk before entering his vehicle.

"Jerk…" I muttered under my breath. However, my hostility was short lived however as I quickly realized Kai was having some trouble starting his car. Dying motor sounds reached my ears, followed by cursing and swearing on Kai's part.

"Hah, sucker. You can't even get your car to start. Now you have to walk home too!" I exclaimed, pointing at him accusingly.

"Why me?" he muttered under his breath.

"Karma." I called out

"What?"

"Karma… well bad karma in this case."

"What the hell is Karma?" he asked, irritation beginning to get the better of him.

"Well, it's like this energy you produce based on everything you do. If you do good things, you make good energy, and good things will happen to you in turn, If you do bad things, then you make bad energy. And then well, what comes around goes around." Rinoa nearly chirped that last sentence, hoping she was beginning to get to him.

"Argh, silly girl. I just saved your life. I should have good things happening to me."

"Well…you did the right thing. But for the wrong reason!"

Kai eyed me carefully. I could tell he thought I was weird already. Rolling his eyes he turned to walk away.

"Whatever…"

I blinked. Does whatever mean…

"H-hey! Was that 'whatever' acknowledgement? Yo! You can't just leave me here!" she yelled after him as he continued walking. "What if these bums wake up and try to rape me!"

"Well then you better get moving!" he called over his shoulder.

I wanted to scream. What a jackass! Who did he think he was! However, he left her with little options… Without another thought she ran after him.

_I've been looking in the mirror for so long…_

_That I've come to believe my soul's on the other side._

_All the little pieces falling…shatter._

_Shards of me, too sharp to put back together._

_Too small to matter…_

_But big enough to cut me into so many little pieces._

"Sooo…Kai, I haven't seen you around before. Are you new or something?"

Kai sighed. "Yeah, you could say that."

"So, umm, where do you come from?"

"The orphanage…"

_Take a breath and I try to draw from my spirit's well._

_Yet again, you refuse to drink like a stubborn child._

_Lie to me._

_Convince me that I've been sick forever…_

_And all of this will make sense when I get better._

_But I know the difference,_

_Between myself and my reflection._

_I just can't help but to wonder,_

_Which of us do you love? _

"S-so..you're an orphan?" I stuttered in disbelief. Could he possibly mean… that orphanage?

"Yes. I always was. I really don't see what's so shocking about it." Kai stared at the ground, refusing to meet my gaze.

"Well it's just. I don't know many orphans, I guess."

"Whatever. You should head home now."

I stopped walking then, realizing we had reached mu street. Kai on the other hand kept walking. His head was still down, and his hands shoved in his pockets. I stared after him in some kind of disbelief, not knowing what to think of him. I looked down at the shiny silver necklace she still failed to return to him, thinking I had always wanted to be someone like him. He always seemed so tough and strong, as though he never needed anyone.

Suddenly, he seemed so lonely.

_**R & R! That song was 'Breath No More' by Evanescence by the way for those of you that are interested. **_


	3. Sympathy for the Devil: Chapter 3

_**- Sympathy for the Devil - **_

_**- Chapter 3 -**_

Lex sat alone in her room, contemplating the different events of the past few days. She didn't quite understand Kai's thinking. He seemed so indifferent about life. Like nothing ever got to him, whether it be good or bad. She had always thought her life was pretty damn bad, but then suddenly it didn't seem so bad anymore, once someone worse came along. Elexis shivered. The mere thought of losing her parents was simply unbearable. How he could live with himself was beyond her.

"Maybe… maybe I'm just weak?" the teen asked herself. She remembered always being hurt by someone. It was usually Tala, to be more exact. Being in love with a person like him was not an easy task. He drove her to the edge a lot of the time, mocking her and being cruel in so many different ways. He knew how she felt, or at least he should have by now. But it all meant very little to him. If it meant anything, it was only a way for him to make her suffer more.

'**_It's strange… I used to think Kai and Tala were pretty similar. They're both cold, somewhat conceited, detached from the rest of the world, and seem to be indifferent when it comes to emotion. No…Tala's not indifferent to all emotion… he enjoys pain and sadness. Kai's… completely indifferent. He just doesn't give a damn about anything. Well except for success… and his car maybe. But he's not cruel like Tala at least… URGH who CARES! Why am I even thinking about him? Why do I even bother comparing him to Tala? It's like… It's like I'm trying to make a choice… but why? I don't need to make a choice… I just need some space… besides… no one could replace Tala. He's… everything. _**

…**_. But Kai did save my life…'_**

"ELEXIS! YOU HAVE TO GO RETURN THOSE BOOKS TO THE LIBRARY! THEY'RE ALMOST OVERDUE!"

Elexis snapped back to reality at the sound of her mother's voice.

"Great… another trip to no where…" she sighed to herself as she gathered the books, and headed for the door.

-----------:----------------

Kai sighed as he dropped his keys on the old wooden desk. It was scratched and worn out, just like the eight-year-old computer that sat on it, collecting dust.

"Useless piece of shit," Kai cussed, unable to beat down the bubbling anger and frustration.

'**_Why the fuck am I so pissed? It's not because of that stupid girl and her karma talk is it? No… there's no reason for me to be angry because of that… I'm angry because of something else. But what?'_**

A knock sounded on the door, diverting Kai's attention. "Yeah?"

"Mr. Hiwatari, there's a letter here for you…" the voice on the other side of the door said.

Kai blinked momentarily. '**_Letter? I never get letters… unless it's Santa Clause telling me I was a naughty boy this year… wait… Christmas isn't for another three months. Scratch that…'_**

"Who the hell would send me a letter?" he called back

"…Your grandfather… apparently… he'd like you to be informed that there's a leadership training camp he is running in approximately three months time… he requests that you apply for a spot."

"Grandfather!" Kai exclaimed.

Now this was really making his blood boil. '**_I've been a fucking orphan my whole life… and suddenly I have a fucking grandfather who never took the time to see to the fact that I existed, and now he wants me to attend some shitty leadership camp of his? What the fuck is this about!"_**

Swinging the door open full force, the messenger wore a startled expression as the old wooden door was slammed into the inner wall of the room.

"Give me this!" Kai barked at the messenger as he snatched the letter from the poor man's hands. Eyeing the letter, he couldn't help but noticed the fancy 'Biovolt' seal. "What a joke," he mumbled as he slammed the already abused door into the messenger's face.

Skimming over the letter, Kai could not believe what he was reading. This loon, whom he had never met in his entire life, wanted him to apply for some elite leadership program that would take up almost all his free time.

Tossing the letter aside, the grungy teen decided he needed to take a walk. This was going way too far. Slamming the door to his room for the third time, Kai stormed out of the orphanage house without a word. He didn't bother to sign out like everyone was supposed to- he was just too fed up with rules.

Speed walking down the streets like an angry gothic-looking teenager was not very appealing to most bystanders, especially when they received dirty looks for staring. Kai scowled as he watched the everyday townspeople whisper and look away when he caught them looking. Everything seemed to be falling apart these last few days, since the arrival of that stupid girl in his life.

'**_Maybe it's bad karma…?' _**he considered momentarily, before shaking his head in disbelief. '**_What the fuck is wrong with me… karma my ass…'_**

The boy looked up to see he was approaching the old factory – it was shut down a year ago because of some child labor rumors, and marijuana planting apparently. No one really knew what happened though. He hated this part of town, it really wasn't the greatest of places. Shuddering slightly at the sight of the old worn down place, Kai picked up his pace.

---------------------:------------------

Elexis sighed as she walked along the old streets towards the video rental place. It was just past that old shut down factory, where they used to grow marijuana.

'**_What a joke,' she thought to herself. 'I can't believe people would be stupid enough to do something like that. Although I think it would be a good idea if they just tore down this spooky place and built up a nice new building that doesn't scare people crapless. God knows what lives in that building now…'_**

Elexis picked up her pace as she walked by the old factory. Suddenly, a flash of blue caught her eye. Turning her head, her eyes widened slightly as she saw none other, than Kai, speeding past her at that very moment.

'**_Well speak of the devil…I just can't stop thinking about you lately…'_**

-------------------:-----------------

Kai was really getting sick of seeing people stare at him. All he was seeing lately was a bunch of brown eyes following him around everywhere….

'**_Brown…brown…brown…black…brown….br-…no…blue… I see blue eyes… finally, God decided to put some fucking colour into the world.'_**

Shifting a bit, Kai was shocked when his gaze fell upon the girl he had saved earlier.

'**_Oh it's bad-karma-girl… how convenient…'_**

-------:-------

'**_Ahh! Shit! He saw me looking!'_** Lex panicked mentally as she quickly averted her eyes to the ground, her cheeks burning crimson. '**_Stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid girl!'_**

"Fancy meeting you here," a voice said dryly.

Elexis looking up to meet the burning gaze of Kai's cold mahogany eyes.

"I smell sarcasm!" she snapped, trying to sound angry.

Kai frowned. "Hey, I don't know what kind of shit you have at home, but don't take it out on me…"

Elexis felt a strange kind of anger rising in the pit of her stomach. Who did he think he was? Telling her about her own problems! "Problems! Listen buddy, I don't have ANY problems at ALL! Not in my house!"

Kai smirked. He knew he was getting to her, and for some reason, he was really enjoying having this power. "…So… if it's not problems at home… then it must be something else. Like… Tala, per say?"

Elexis visibly tensed. "WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM!" she exploded. "WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"

With that, she shoved through Kai, trying to get her final point across, but not before he grabbed her upper arm before she could walk away with the victory.

Tugging her close to his body, he leaned down, his warm breath tickling her ear.

"Don't upset me, girl. I'm running out of places to hide the bodies." He whispered menacingly.

Elexis' breath caught in her throat at his threatening words. For a moment, she took him seriously, and Kai could sense this. Smirking, he released her slowly, looking down into her fearful ocean blue eyes.

Without a word, Elexis spun around and kept walking towards the video store.

'**_Scary…'_** she thought to herself as she glanced over her shoulder one last time to see him stalking back towards the orphanage. '**_He wasn't serious…'_** she laughed to herself nervously. '…**_was he?'_**

-------:-------

The weekend had passed rather dryly, and Monday almost seemed like a welcoming break for Elexis- although it did mean another week of hell and humiliation at school. During the week she would nearly become suicidal with depression from the harassment she received from other students. Friday seemed so very welcoming in the end, but then the torture of being with her family at home didn't seem to help much either, making her depression return rather quickly. It was a never-ending cycle to Elexis. She sighed as she walked into her calculus class. Ray and Max waved to her cheerfully, whereas she returned nothing but a dull smile.

Her two newfound friends frowned slightly, but shrugged it off, motioning for Lex to come sit in the empty seat they saved for her.

Smiling a bit more brightly, she made her way over to them, but not before a hard object found it's way entangled in Elexis' feet, causing her to trip, and collide nose first with the floor.

The room erupted into menacing laughter, as fingers pointed, and eyes stared. Elexis' cheeks burned with humiliation, but only until she realized the foot which she had tripped over was placed in front of her on purpose. Raising her head to glare stonily at the perpetrator, Elexis was immediately humbled as she locked eyes with Tala. His emerald orbs held malice, and his smile was menacing and cruel. He enjoyed making her feel pain. Lowering her head again, Elexis slowly rose to her feet as the laughter died down, and proceeded towards her seat. She saw Ray glaring at Tala, as Max sent a worried glance in her diretion.

"Are you just going to take that and walk away?" a cold, sharp voice cut through the silence of the room.

Elexis stopped in her tracks. She slowly turned, fearful of more embarrassment. To her surprise, it was none other than Kai, sitting a few seats away from Tala. His chair was pulled out from his desk where he sat lazily, his right arm casually slung around the backrest. His eyes were cold and hard as usual, his expression somewhat bored and dry.

Elexis gulped. '**_Was that a rhetorical question?' _**she thought to herself. '**_Because I really don't know how to answer it…'_**

When Kai wouldn't lower his gaze, Elexis gave in, slowly turning her head and walking away to her seat.

Murmurs began to sound throughout the classroom, as students whispered amongst themselves about Kai and his new war with Tala.

Kai audibly sighed, finally lowering his gaze. "Foolish girl…"

Once in her seat, Elexis was having trouble finding the courage to look up at Max and Ray, knowing they were looking at her.

"Hey.. are you ok?" Max asked concerned.

"Yea…. I'm fine," Elexis replied, her voice feeling weak again. She didn't understand why it affected her so much. She had been experiencing this for the past four years, so why should today and yesterday be any different or any more painful? For some reason, the thought of Kai seeing her like this made her feel stupid.

"Listen Lex, don't let him get to you… if you do he'll always do it!" Ray exclaimed, his eyebrows furrowed and his jaw clenched. Was there something between Tala and Ray? It was true that many people didn't like Tala, but no one was as expressive about it as Ray was. So perhaps the two had some kind of history?

"Yeah, I'll try. It's just that… he's so intimidating!" I confessed, finally managing to look up.

Ray frowned. "The only reason he's intimidating is because he thinks he's got power over everyone. Show him otherwise!"

I gulped uncertainly. "Right."

-------:--------

Elexis couldn't stop thinking about what Kai had said that morning in first period. Was he trying to help her? Or did he just want to embarrass her even more? She didn't even know. Sometimes he didn't seem to care about her existence at all, other times he seemed to enjoy mocking her, in a not so cruel kind of way, and today… today he almost seemed to try and help her find some kind of strength.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she saw Kai walking down the hall towards her, his usual confident stride intimidating its way through the crowds. Finally remembering his chain that he had dropped, she reached down into her pocket to pull it out. Casually stopping a few steps before Kai, she called out to him.

"Hey Kai, you forgot something!"

Raising his eyebrows Kai eyed the girl casually. "What is it?"

Lifting the small trinket, she jingled it before his eyes. "I thought you might want this back. I found it outside after your fight with Tala, but… I kind of forgot to give it back until now…" she smiled sheepishly at him.

He stared at her for a moment, as if taking in what she had said before grabbing his beloved chain and staring down at it in mild amusement. "Funny, how it always seems to come back to me." He murmured quietly.

"Huh?"

"…Nothing. Tell me something. Why do you let that guy push you around?"

Elexis froze. '**_No, not this again…'_** Lowering her gaze, all she could do was shrug lazily.

Kai sighed. "Look, I know you like him and shit, and I know he's intimidating and no one would dare stand up to him, but you should at least say something. People would respect you more, and you'd have less shit heads to deal with every day. This way, you seem weak, so people just treat you like you're crap, since it IS the impression you give off."

Elexis scowled darkly. "What did you say!"

"See… why can't you act that way with him?" Kai inquired.

Elexis' angry face faded as she stared past him in confusion. "I…just can't. It's too hard."

The goth rolled his eyes. "It's really not, just do it," he said walking past her "It'll make your life a lot easier. Then you'll have less to complain about!"

Elexis thought for a moment about what she had just heard. '**_He's right… DAMNIT…WHY IS HE ALWAYS RIGHT!' _**Anger began to boil inside the small girl as she seethed about the orphan who seemed to know everything about everything. "STUPID KAI!"

Kai stopped in his tracks to look back and smirk at the girl. His amusement faded however when he noticed a group of Tala's lackeys gathering behind her.

"Well well well, what do we have here…a sad little Lexie?" Bryan chuckled as he poked the girl in the arm.

"Careful Bry, she might turn to jello and fall apart if you're too rough with her." Mocked Johnny as he stared the smaller girl down. "What's the matter sweetie-pie… cat got your tongue?" he cooed, leaning in.

Next to Tala, Bryan and Johnny were probably the rudest and most disrespectful people she knew. They had little personality to be quite frank, but a lot of nerve to criticize everyone else's.

Elexis felt a Kai-like rage begin to push her over the edge. She had had enough.

"Don't upset me, Johnny," she began through clenched teeth. "I'm running out of places to hide the bodies."

_**A/N: woooo…that took me like half a year… I'm really sorry guys I know this took forever… but I've been so busy and had a messive writers block…**_


	4. Chapter 4

**_- Sympathy for the Devil -_**

_**- Chapter 4 -  
**_

She was shaking. From her fingertips to her very core, every bone, every muscle, every part of her was shaking. Without another word, Elexis spun around, walking briskly in the opposite direction- away from Kai and the others. She wasn't sure if her poor frame could take much more of this emotional abuse. It was the first time in a while she felt as though she needed support, right then and there. The teen had spent most of her high school career drilling into her own head the idea that she could get past anything and anyone alone… but since the arrival of Steffie, Max, Ray, and even Kai, being alone seemed horrible all of a sudden. Who was there in the world that she could turn to? Her parents were busy fighting, and didn't give a damn about her teenage problems. She didn't exactly feel comfortable running to Max or Ray, seeing that she'd only known them for about a week and a bit.

For some reason, Steffie was the kind of person you could talk to no matter who you were, or where you came from. It didn't matter if you had known her for ten minutes or for a lifetime- there was just something about her that made you feel safe and at home. Without a second thought, Elexis bolted towards Steffie's home. She had remembered the bouncy brunette once telling her that if she ever needed her she could just come right over. Elexis never thought for a moment she'd wind up running to someone she had just met- but at this point in time it all seemed so necessary. She used to dream about calling Tala on the phone every time something went wrong in her home. She imagined how he'd soothe and comfort her as she cried out all her problems to him, and then tell her "I'll be right there," before hanging up and driving over to wherever she was. She'd hoped that he'd hold her, caress her, and stroke her matted black hair while wiping away the tears from her delicate face.

That was all a dream. And that's exactly why it would never happen – because it was a dream, nothing more.

Elexis barely managed to hold herself up as she leaned against the large wooden doors of Steffie's house after ringing the doorbell. The place could be described as a mansion- the girl was definitely well off.

Soon after the door was answered by a small plump woman, with chestnut coloured hair and big brown eyes, similar to those of Steffie.

Elexis felt at a loss of words. "Umm," she managed intelligibly, "Is Steffie home… today?"

The middle-aged woman blinked momentarily before a smile spread across her face. "Why yes of course dear," she replied, stepping aside to give Elexis room to enter. "Come right in! We absolutely love visitors!"

Elexis cast her gaze to the ground as a blush or embarrassment flushed across her pale cheeks. "T-Thank you."

"Ooo, Steffie's right upstairs… third door to your left. Make yourself at home dear, I just need to go get the pie out of the oven!" said Steffie's presumed mother before rushing off into the kitchen.

Elexis stood grounded for a moment, nearly taken aback by the woman's warm welcoming. Sighing, she made her way up the staircase towards Steffie's bedroom. She could hear loud music coming from inside the room, accompanied with the teen's high-pitched voice singing along to the lyrics. The door was already slightly open, and Elexis could see a shadow moving wildly around the room- presumably Steffie dancing like a maniac.

Gently pushing the door open, the raven-haired teen peered into the room where her suspicions were quickly confirmed. Indeed, there was Steffie, singing and dancing wildly in a pair of short pink boxers and a white tank top. It was difficult not to smile as Elexis watched the oblivious girl as she happily pranced around her room, waving her hands in the air as she sang fearlessly at the top of her lungs. Her eyes were closed and she seemed to be trapped in her own little world – probably imagining herself to be a celebrity. Or maybe there was something about those lyrics?

I need a miracle 

_I wanna be your girl_

_Give me a chance to see_

_That you were made for me_

_I need a miracle _

_Please let me be your girl_

One day you'll see it could happen to me 

Elexis gulped before taking a step into the bright room. She knocked on the door, efficiently scaring the smaller girl out of her shorts. Steffie jumped at least ten feet at the sound of the knocking before crashing beside her bed. She looked up, her large eyes wide as she stared at Elexis in slight confusion. After blinking several times, that same grin she shared with her mother spread across her features.

"LEXIE!" she shrieked at the top of her lungs. "IT'S YOU!" The small girl jumped up before lunging at Elexis, rapping her arms around her in a deadly squeeze.

"It's good to see you too…" the raven-haired teen barely managed as she inhaled sharply.

Steffie stepped back momentarily, feeling something glum about her newfound friend. Frowning, she took in the girl's serious appearance, her intuition instantly telling her something was wrong.

"Is something wrong, Lexie? You don't look too happy…" Steffie trailed off as she noticed the sudden glossy look in Elexis' eyes.

"Umm…" Elexis began. "It's… It's just that…." She cut herself off as tears began to run freely. The girl choked on her own words, covering her mouth with her hand as she began to sob and shake uncontrollably.

"I just threatened one of Tala's friends!"

"WHAT!" Steffie shrieked as she stared wide-eyed at her friend. "WHO!"

Elexis cringed as she visualized the teen in her head. "That annoying Scottish loud-mouth, Johnny."

Steffie seemed to pale suddenly; as the colour drained from her face and her eyes became wide with awe.

"….What is it?" Elexis asked, now afraid she might have offended someone worse than Tala. "Is this Johnny guy violent or something? Should I get help? WOULD YOU PLEASE STOP LOOKED AT ME AS THOUGH I JUST SIGNED MY DEATH WARRANT!"

Steffie jumped at this last comment, snapping out of her thoughts. "Ok ok! Relax… it's not THAT bad. It's just that… well… it's Johnny!"

"Sooo? Is that supposed to mean something to me?"

"Well… normally no, but… it's kind of personal I guess…" Steffie said quietly, suddenly finding her socks very interesting.

Elexis blinked. Something was up, and she knew it. "Alright Steff.. what's going on? You know you can trust me, right?"

The short brunette sighed as she looked up at Elexis, seemingly defeated. "Let's sit down… this is kind of long.." Steffie ushered the taller girl into her room.

Elexis was somewhat confused as she sat down on Steffie's bed, her eyebrows furrowed as she waited patiently for the usually ecstatic girl to begin her story.

"Well… you see Lexie... things weren't always the way you see them now… I mean a lot of people think that Tala has always been Tala with his friends and then me Ray and Max have always stuck together as well. But the truth is… a while ago Johnny used to be friends with us… never got into any trouble or even had any interest in being friends with jerks like Tala. That is… until his dad walked out. Ever since then, things have been different."

"So… Johnny's dad leaving really had a bad effect on him?" Elexis asked, her eyes focused on Steffie as she examined the girl's expression.

"Yeah… the two of them were really close – Johnny and his dad that is. They were like best friends. I still remember when we were younger, his dad would always throw these barbeques and we'd all go over. We thought he was the coolest dad in the world, and so did Johnny obviously. But after he walked out on him and his mom, Johnny felt really betrayed and guilty – especially having to see his mom so heartbroken."

"Wow…. That's gotta be tough… having your reputation ruined and the image of your father shattered like that…"

"That's not the worst of it though." Steffie paused before continuing. "At first Johnny was just really depressed, and didn't really want to talk about it with anyone, but he was generally still a good kid… he just didn't laugh or smile as much, or have as much fun. Then after two years, on Johnny's fifteenth birthday, his mom remarried. Johnny couldn't accept this, and he began to get bitter and rebel. Him and Ray started to fight a lot. Johnny would want to do something stupid and Ray would try and stop him. It always ended badly… Finally he just stopped talking to us, and started hanging out with Tala, who also does stupid shit all the time."

"You… sound pretty upset about all this... even though it was a while ago."

"Yeah… I am," Steffie said, barely above a whisper. "Johnny was important to me… he meant a lot. Sometimes that kind of bugged Ray, especially after Johnny started to get into some bad habbits…" she trailed off.

For a moment Elexis could have sworn she saw a tear in the smaller girl's left eye – but as quickly as it had appeared, Steffie shook her head, clearing the sad expression, and looking up at Elexis with a bright smile.

"But it's ok now," she chirped. "I guess things just turned out they way they were supposed to."

Elexis was speechless. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Steffie had strong feelings for Johnny even now, seeing how the mere mention of his name affected her. It saddened her in a way, that it had to turn out so badly, but it shocked her at the same time. She never would have thought any kind of mixing or intermingling between Tala's friends and her friends would ever have occurred.

"Um… I should get going… now," Elexis said slowly, averting her gaze awkwardly.

Steffie just nodded, not arguing with her as she usually would. It seemed as though the solemn conversation had really ruined her mood.

"I'll um, see you around," she said quietly, lifting her hand lazily in a half-wave kind of motion.

"Right, you take care then."

Elexis had no become extremely curious about this entire situation. Where had she been all this time? There was no helping the nagging feeling of exclusion that was creeping up on her. She'd lived in the same neighbourhood as these people her entire life, and yet she had no idea what went on in their lives even the slightest bit. The teen sighed to herself as she continued walking home.

"Looks like me and the new guy are best suited for each other… since neither of us know what goes on around here either way," she said to herself, before realizing what she had just implied.

Stopping in her tracks, Elexis re-winded the words in her own brain before mentally slapping herself. '**_Me and Kai! I must be on drugs or something… there's no way!" _**

Yet for whatever reason, she couldn't help but feel like she belonged with him the most. Sure, Steffie, Ray and Max were really nice – but she didn't feel like she belonged with them. They had history, and had been friends since their early childhood. There's no way she could compete with that kind of closeness and friendship. And then there was this whole Johnny mess too… Johnny... one of Tala's best friends… Tala… the guy she had liked for eons. This just made her feel even more excluded.

But Kai… Kai was new. With him, she felt as though she had a fresh start. He didn't know her… well no body did really… but everyone else in this town had an impression that was based on nothing concrete. Everyone was phony, and didn't really have a clue. But Kai was smart… he didn't let other people dictate his opinions to him – and if anything, he had helped her. Why was completely beyond her, but it comforted her, and for this reason she felt closer to him… more so than to anyone else.

It was strange, but the reality was finally beginning to hit her. Every time she felt lonely, or misunderstood… she began to think of Kai, and the reason in her mind was simple;

They were both the same.


End file.
